Photo: Ford
Just yesterday, here on autoevolution it was reported that the Ford Motor Company, through its Ford Pro division, unveiled its brand new all-electric multi-activity vehicle in the E-tourneo for the European market.
Today, we discovered something quite unique about the E-tourneo Ford hopes will grab the attention of outdoor folks and business people alike who have their eyes on others in the segment, such as the Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Mercedes-Benz EQV.
The feature has nothing to do with battery range or any other issue that accompanies the electric vehicles of today. It is all about the wheel, not the wheels that hit the road but the wheel tucked between the driver's hands. In one of the quirkiest innovations to come about in a while, Ford has designed a steering wheel that can be conveniently transformed into a table. You read that correctly; a functional table to prop up your laptop or support your drive-thru hamburger and coke.
Obviously, the wheel can only be converted into the table when the vehicle is parked, at which time the rim can be tilted independently of the hub and lie flat; a separate table-top can then be fitted on top and secured by a tab held in the squircle-shaped rim. This table-top wheel is also available on Ford's European-spec Transit van.
There are no current plans to offer the 230-mile (370 km) when fully charged and in an optioned-out configuration E-tourneo in the U.S. For now, the E-tourneo will be built at a joint-venture factory in Kocaeli, Turkey, and distributed solely in Europe.
Ford is looking to capitalize on the success of its brand across the pond following a banner year that saw its Ford Kuga become the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in Europe. A cousin of the U.S. Ford Escape, 23,000 Kugas were sold in the first half of the year, besting all other European brands by 28%.
The feature has nothing to do with battery range or any other issue that accompanies the electric vehicles of today. It is all about the wheel, not the wheels that hit the road but the wheel tucked between the driver's hands. In one of the quirkiest innovations to come about in a while, Ford has designed a steering wheel that can be conveniently transformed into a table. You read that correctly; a functional table to prop up your laptop or support your drive-thru hamburger and coke.
Obviously, the wheel can only be converted into the table when the vehicle is parked, at which time the rim can be tilted independently of the hub and lie flat; a separate table-top can then be fitted on top and secured by a tab held in the squircle-shaped rim. This table-top wheel is also available on Ford's European-spec Transit van.
There are no current plans to offer the 230-mile (370 km) when fully charged and in an optioned-out configuration E-tourneo in the U.S. For now, the E-tourneo will be built at a joint-venture factory in Kocaeli, Turkey, and distributed solely in Europe.
Ford is looking to capitalize on the success of its brand across the pond following a banner year that saw its Ford Kuga become the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in Europe. A cousin of the U.S. Ford Escape, 23,000 Kugas were sold in the first half of the year, besting all other European brands by 28%.
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